


mack daddy challenge

by bananajie (carpesoo)



Category: NINE PERCENT (Band), 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV)
Genre: 200 Word Challenge, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-24
Updated: 2018-05-30
Packaged: 2019-05-13 04:30:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 32
Words: 6,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14742026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carpesoo/pseuds/bananajie
Summary: jk it’s a one hundred (100) idol producer drabble challenge—each two hundred (200) words.





	1. friend

**Author's Note:**

> each drabble will feature the title word within the fic, which was drafted via a random noun generator.
> 
> —originally posted on [twitter](https://twitter.com/zhengthingz/status/997591020895424514?s=21) (featuring pretty calligraphy and an attempt at a matching photo set).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { zhu zhengting / zhou yanchen }

zhengting has always thought of himself as a lover, not a hater. sure, there were things he didn’t care for, dislike even—but never _hate_ —until yanchen utters the words that would change everything.

“you’re such a good _friend_ ,” yanchen had said with a smile so bright he could put the sun out of business.

zhengting swears he can hear the sound of his heart being crushed, yanchen’s words keep replaying over in his head.

‘ _friend_.’

how zhengting _hates_ that word.

“zhengting? are you okay?”

he’s not. he doesn’t want to just be yanchen’s _friend_ —he wants _more_. he wants to hold yanchen’s hand, kiss his lips, feel the warmth of his body as they lay in each other’s arms.

zhengting looks at yanchen beaming at him, and he realises there’s nothing he wants more than to be the reason behind yanchen’s smile—always. in the heat of the moment, zhengting blurts out, “i think i could be a better _boyfriend_?”

yanchen remains silent for a moment, a pensive expression on his face. zhengting’s about to lose all hope when yanchen slowly leans in close and whispers into his ear, “i guess we won’t know unless we test it out?”


	2. chalk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { zhu zhengting / lin yanjun }

  
“need any help?”

currently holding on for dear life, zhengting doesn’t dare look down. the voice had sounded like yanjun’s but zhengting could barely hear anything other than the loud ringing in his ears.

zhengting knew he’d lacked the upper body strength for rock climbing but he didn’t want to look like a wimp in front of the other members. only he hadn’t been anticipating just how high up they’d be climbing.

he’d better start making a move before he loses his grip—there’s no telling how long the chalk dust covering his hands will remain effective.

“just make your way down slowly,” the voice continues, louder this time.

zhengting takes a deep breath before beginning his descent, guided by the soft gentle voice. a wave of relief rushes over him when his two feet touch the ground, and a pair of hands wrap around his waist to keep him stable.

it’s yanjun, and zhengting hopes the other is unable to hear his heart thumping loudly in his chest.

he gazes intensely into zhengting’s eyes, brushing the hair out of his face. yanjun smiles and zhengting can feel his own lips curving into a wide grin.

“you _rock_ , zhu zhengting.”


	3. range

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { jeffrey / lin yanjun }

  
“hey, yanjun? what does this say?” jeffrey points to the carton that reads ‘free range eggs.’

yanjun picks up the box and inspects it meticulously. he mouths the words silently, his brows furrowed in concentration.

“it’s okay if you don’t know—”

“—i got it! it says free rain eggs!” yanjun says, a little too loudly which catches jeffrey by surprise.

“free rain? but what does that mean?” jeffrey asks.

the pensive expression returns. “uhm, because it’s free?”

“i mean, okay… but why is it on the box? it doesn’t make sense?”

yanjun shrugs. “maybe the eggs are washed in the rain or something? i don’t know. it doesn’t explain why it’s called that, it just says it.”

the pair hear someone clearing their throat—it’s yueyue. “seriously, it’s like the blind leading the blind. it says free _range_ eggs, as in the chickens weren’t cooped up in a cage.”

“oh, that makes sense,” jeffrey says.

yanjun forces a laugh. “i knew that, i was just testing you guys. of course i know it says ‘free range eggs’. and look here—it says they’re orgasmi—“

“organic!” yueyue exclaims, covering yanjun’s mouth before he can finish speaking. “they’re _organic_ free range eggs!”


	4. relation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> trigger warning:—infidelity
> 
> { zhu zhengting / cai xukun }

  
zhengting spots his boyfriend several yards in front of him. increasing his pace, zhenting practically sprints to catch up with him. he’s almost within arm’s reach when he freezes dead in his tracks. zhengting catches xukun in another’s man embrace, their bodies pressed against one another, arms snaked around each other’s waist.

a hot flush rushes to zhengting’s face, an involuntary reaction to the betrayal he’s witnessing right before his very eyes. who is the man hugging his boyfriend? what is their relation? is xukun being unfaithful to him?

a myriad of thoughts run through zhengting’s mind, each one worse than the next. he wills himself not to jump to conclusions—maybe they’re just friends.

zhengting doesn’t want to believe it, he wants to give xukun the benefit of the doubt—innocent until proven guilty. however, it doesn’t take long for zhengting’s worst fears to be confirmed.

he flees.

his vision becomes distorted as tears stream down his face. turning a corner, zhengting falls to his knees, face in his hands. he sobs inconsolably, not caring if he’s attracting the attention of pedestrians passing by. zhengting’s chest tightens, as if his heart has just been ripped out.

zhengting is broken.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { li quanzhe / ding zeren / bi wenjun / huang xinchun }

  
zeren peeks over quanzhe’s shoulder, trying to peep at what he’s typing.

“hey!” quanzhe exclaims, quickly shutting the lid of his laptop closed when he discovers he’s being watched.

“what are you writing?” zeren asks, his fingers slowly making their way to the laptop.

“nothing!” quanzhe shrieks at the top of his lungs. the sheer volume is loud enough to raise an alarm, wenjun and xinchun immediately bursting into the room to make sure everything and everyone is alright.

“what happened?” the pair ask in unison.

“he’s writing fanfic again,” zeren informs them, dodging an attack from quanzhe.

“it’s not a _fanfic_ , i’m just outlining the plot of my story,” quanzhe corrects, throwing his body over the laptop to shield from prying hands.

zeren pulls up a chair beside quanzhe and nudges him gently on the shoulder. “and who’s it about?”

quanzhe’s gaze averts to the floor, avoiding eye contact. “the others,” he whispers quietly.

wenjun and xinchun exchange looks of concern.

“do i even dare ask what it’s about?” xinchun asks.

quanzhe’s face lights up with glee. “so zhengting is a shoe, chengcheng is a sock, and justin… well, he’s an avocado because he kinda reminds me of one.”


	6. flight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { zhou rui / zhu xingjie }

  
zhou rui exhales, pushing the air out of his lungs. xingjie appears and takes a seat beside him. he offers zhou rui a sip of his coffee, but zhou rui declines. he doesn’t need the caffeine, he’s feeling jittery enough as it is.

“when’s your flight?” xingjie asks, gulping the rest of his beverage in one shot.

his flight will be boarding soon— _too_ soon—but he doesn’t have the heart to respond, and xingjie doesn’t press any further.

“three months isn’t _that_ long. besides, i’ll call you every day,” zhou rui says.

“it’s not the same.”

“i know, but…” zhou rui trails off—it’s too painful to continue. he feels xingjie’s fingers interlocking with his own, followed by a gentle squeeze.

“call me when you land?”

zhou rui nods, and bids farewell when it‘s time to board. when he hands his flight ticket to the attendant, he notices the silver band on his ring finger—xingjie must’ve slipped it on without his knowledge.

settling into his seat and buckling his seatbelt, zhou rui admires the ring again. there’s no doubt in his heart that the love they have for one another won’t ever be broken by time nor distance.


	7. robin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { wang ziyi / zhu zhengting }

  
“why is zhengting sulking in the corner?” zhangjun whispers quietly to the group.

“ziyi dissed him,” justin informs him. he exchanges looks with chengcheng and the pair burst into a fit of laughter.

“i didn’t!” ziyi rebukes, shooting a look to his boyfriend. they make eye contact for a fleeting moment before zhengting quickly averts his gaze. ziyi sighs wistfully, knowing the best way to deal with a moping zhengting is to leave him be—he’ll come around eventually.

“i was just saying that he’s the other half that completes me,” ziyi continues, making sure he’s speaking loud enough for zhengting to hear.

“no, you called him your sidekick,” linong points out.

ziyi’s brows furrow into a scowl, the other quickly cowering behind zhangjing for protection.

“what exactly did you say?” zhangjing asks.

“he likened himself to batman and then referred to zhengting as robin!” justin says, perhaps with a tad too much glee evident in his voice.

zhengting launches a slipper at him before storming out of the room.

“i think i should probably go after him,” ziyi says, excusing himself.

“can you guys keep it down this time! we don’t wanna hear it,” xukun calls out to him.


	8. blade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { justin / fan chengcheng }

  
justin turns over onto his stomach as he writhes in agony, making sure that anyone within earshot is fully aware of his pain. “it’s stuck!”

“there’s nothing there,” chengcheng tells him, rolling his eyes at justin who has since started to slither around the room like some kind of human caterpillar hybrid.

“can someone please explain why this always happen when i’m not around?” zhengting asks. he doesn’t know why he always questions chengcheng and justin’s antics anymore—he’s since come to expect it. in fact, he’d be more surprised if he returned to find the two not at each other’s necks.

“you can’t trust anyone these days—not even your best friend. you turn your back for one second and what happens? a blade—forged from the ore of betrayal—is thrust into your back, leaving a mortal injury like no other.”

zhengting sighs. “chengcheng, what did you do this time?”

“this time? what do you mean ‘ _this time_ ’? i didn’t even do anything!”

“you lie!” justin exclaims, rising to his feet and pointing an accusatory finger at chengcheng. “remember how we made that pact to become vegetarian? well, guess who i found eating a burger, without telling me?”


	9. respect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { cai xukun / wang ziyi }

  
cai xukun had no idea what to expect when he’d signed up for ‘ _idol producer_.’ as an individual trainee, xukun feared he’d be standing by the sidelines, watching the others from the outside looking in.

this all changed when he met wang ziyi.

a connection was established almost immediately, a mutual respect shared for one another, resulting in a bond far greater than xukun could’ve ever imagined. and not before long, xukun found himself searching for ziyi amongst the sea of trainees, a smile formed on his face whenever their eyes would meet.

with the knowledge that ziyi would always have his back, no obstacle was too great for xukun to overcome. he pushed his body harder than ever before, and despite the gruelling training sessions they both faced on a daily basis, xukun would always enjoy the time they spent together.

the hard work and dedication had finally paid off in the end, both xukun and ziyi were successful in accomplishing their dream of debuting on stage.

but this was only the beginning of their journey.

it’s often said that it would be lonely at the top, but fortunately for xukun, he’d always have ziyi standing by his side.


	10. tax

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { zhu zhengting / bi wenjun }

  
“as you all know, the refrigerator needs to be replaced,” zhengting informs the group during their weekly meeting. “and well, it’s about eight-hundred bucks.”

“ _eight hundred_?! you can’t be serious,” justin says, “he can’t be serious.”

“okay, but do we really need a fridge? can’t we… just leave things outside on the window ledge?” zeren asks, making grand gestures with his hands.

“so i was thinking we can chip in for a new one, which works out to be one-twenty five each,” zhengting says, ignoring zeren’s absurd remarks “plus tax, of course,” he adds.

“wait, seven multiplied by one twenty-five is eight seventy-five?” xinchun points out.

chengcheng gasps, his jaw hanging agape. “were you trying to _scam_ us?”

“he wouldn’t!” quanzhe defends.

“of course not. wenjun only needs to pay fifty—we’ll cover the rest.”

“wait, why’s that?” justin demands an explanation.

zhengting points at wenjun. “you have eyes—look at him.”

the others storm out in protest, leaving the couple behind.

wenjun‘s hand find zhengting’s, their fingers lacing together. “is my share really only fifty bucks?” he asks.

zhengting shakes his head. “of course not, silly. you don’t need to pay a penny—we’ll just split it six ways.”


	11. kitty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { han mubo / qin fen }

“you can’t be serious,” mubo says to his boyfriend. he should’ve known better than to have left qin fen alone in the shop, without supervision.

“what?” qin fen asks.

mubo dispels the thought of spoiling qin fen—he will not be swayed. “do you really need _all_ of that?” he points to the shopping trolley filled to the brim. “we barely have enough space in our room as it is!”

“but i _need_ this!” qin fen says, a little too loudly and attracts the attention of the other customers in the store.

mubo sighs. “doubt it.”

“but you don’t understand—these are all _limited edition_. one of these days, they’ll be worth a fortune!”

“so it’s an investment?” mubo asks.

qin fen nods emphatically.

“so you’ll be expecting to make a profit in the future?”

qin fen gasps. “how dare you? i would never sell them—they’re my _babies_!”

“but you just said…” mubo trails off, conceding defeat. there’s no reasoning with qin fen when he starts referring to inanimate objects as his children. pinching the bridge of his nose, he takes a deep breath. “okay, let’s make our way to the checkout and purchase these hello kitty plushies, then.”


	12. exchange

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { lin yanjun / you zhangjing }

“so, who’s the shortie?” chaoze asks.

dinghao snorts. “you can talk—oww!” the remark earns him a swift kick to the shin. “anyway, what do you think—should we invite him over?”

yanjun glances up from his book, shooting a look at the person in question. “sure, he’s cool.”

“you know him?” dinghao asks with a mouthful of cheetos.

“he’s the new exchange student from malaysia. we’ve got a couple classes together,” yanjun replies, not bothering to look up from his book this time.

chaoze seizes the opportunity and gestures for the other to join them.

“who me?” the exchange student mouths silently. after dinghao and chaoze nod in affirmation, he picks up his tray of food and makes his way over to the group.

“hi, i’m chaoze. this is dinghao and he’s—”

“—charmed,” yanjun interrupts, finally setting his book down. they make eye contact and yanjun feels his heart skip a beat.

“nice to meet you guys, i’m zhangjing.”

“the pleasure’s all mine,” yanjun says, offering a handshake and a bright smile.

chaoze and dinghao groan in unison but yanjun isn’t listening—his attention’s focused solely on zhangjing, as if they were the only two people in the room.


	13. hose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { qin fen / dong yanlei }

“don’t you dare,” qin fen warns with a stern voice. he takes a step back, followed by another, inching away slowly.

dong yanlei’s hand is trembling but with a tight firm grip on the garden hose—he’s not standing down. “take it back!”

qin fen dry swallows, careful to not break eye contact—not even for a second. “let’s just agree to disagree. so. put. it. down.”

“not until you admit that you’re wrong.”

qin fen is at a crossroads, unsure of which path he should take. he could take back his words, but it would go against his principles. and his pride. or, he could stick to guns—consequences be damned.

“well, which is it?” yanlei asks.

qin fen’s mind is running a mile a minute, trying to formulate an escape plan. he could create a distraction, and then make a mad dash to safety. he’s pretty sure he can outrun yanlei, especially if he’s got the element of surprise on his side.

in an almost out of body experience, qin fen doesn’t quite know what possesses him to say the following words, “no, i stand by what i said—charmander is the far superior first gen starter pokemon!”


	14. lake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { li xikan / bi wenjun }

xikan rests his elbows on the wooden frame, his fingers wrapped around a cup of coffee. he stares out at the lake in front of the little cabin he and his boyfriend had rented for their weekend getaway.

he takes a deep breath, feeling the gentle breeze against his skin. the air’s clean and fresh, a stark contrast from the heavy pollution of the city—it’s a nice change.

xikan watches in awe as the sky changes colour. he considers waking his boyfriend, but decides against it—it’s not too often wenjun gets the opportunity to sleep in.

with his eyes closed, xikan listens to the sounds of nature slowly rising with the sun. footsteps approach, and xikan can feel his body being pulled into a warm embrace.

“mornin’,” a voice—thick with sleep—whispers into his ear.

“it’s beautiful, isn’t it?” xikan asks, taking a sip of his coffee.

“yep, that you are,” wenjun replies.

“i was talking about the view,” xikan says with a light chuckle.

“so was i.”

with a smile, xikan turns around to face his boyfriend and pulls him in for a kiss. “you’re not so bad yourself,” he mumbles, their lips still pressed together.


	15. trail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { wang ziyi / zhu zhengting }

ziyi has never been fond of hikes. that’s not to say he’s against the concept of exercise per se—he just doesn’t see the appeal of climbing up a mountain trail only to walk back down. sure, the views are nice and all, but he could just as easily look up photos on google image search.

he wipes his forehead with the back of his hand, not that it makes any difference, he can still feel the beads of sweat trickling down his face. it’s far too hot and the mosquito repellant he had bathed himself is proving to be useless—he’s being eaten alive.

the only silver lining is he gets to spend time with his long-time crush. zhengting is the sun personified, beautiful inside and out, with the grace of an angel.

“you alright?” zhengting asks when he notices ziyi falling behind the group.

ziyi nods and his heart flutters when zhengting smiles back at him.

they reach the mid-point campsite just as the sun starts to set. they pick straws to decide sleeping arrangements and ziyi is more than satisfied upon learning he’ll be sharing a tent with zhengting.

ziyi supposes hiking isn’t so bad after all.


	16. crime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { cai xukun / wang ziyi }

xukun has a secret he’s been keeping from everyone. flashing back to the promise he’d made with his best friend—a vow to never keep anything from one another—he feels a deep pang of guilt. he wants to open up and talk about it, but he’s unable to muster up the courage to do so.

if he reveals the secret, he’s in danger of jeopardising his friendship with ziyi, yet if he doesn’t, he also risks losing him, too. it’s quite the predicament xukun has found himself in.

why did he have to go and fall in love with ziyi? a painful unrequited love filled with yearning and pining.

“if it’s a crime to love you, then i plead guilty,” xukun whispers softly, his finger grazes gently against a sleeping ziyi’s cheek as he brushes stray strands of hair away from his best friend’s face. “as long as i’m with you, you can lock me up and throw away the key.”

ziyi stirs awake, his eyes open slowly. “hmm? did you say something?” he asks.

xukun forces a smile and shakes his head. “no, i didn’t say anything.” he ignores the sharp pain in his heart. “nothing at all.”


	17. hair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { lin yanjun / zhu zhengting }

for the first time since making the decision to study abroad one year prior, yanjun finds himself standing in front of his ex-boyfriend’s apartment. they’d both agreed to end the relationship—long distance a burden far too great for either to bear.

yanjun takes a deep breath, counting to three, fingers hovering inches away from the doorbell.

the front door creaks open and a familiar voice calls out, “yanjun, is that you?”

his ex, zhengting, stands before him, and he still looks as radiant as ever.

unable to speak, yanjun nods in response.

“you look different, i almost didn’t recognise you,” zhengting says with an expression yanjun can’t quite discern.

“yeah, i decided to stop colouring my hair and leave it natural,” yanjun tells him.

zhengting smiles. “it suits you.”

“i was born with it, after all.”

an awkward silence ensues, neither saying a word, the stifling tension growing as each second passes.

yanjun feels his chest tighten, followed by a shortness of breath—this was a mistake. “uhh… i should probably go.”

when yanjun turns to leave, he feels a pair of arms wrap around his waist and a soft whisper in his ear, “i’ve missed you so much.”


	18. connection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { xiao gui / bufan }

 

“h… they… n...?”

linkai frowns at the frozen image on his screen. “the wifi connection here is pretty bad, lemme head to my room. ah, much better. what were you saying?”

“have they found out yet?”

linkai shakes his head.

“i gotta hand it to you, dude. you got balls.”

“well, they really shouldn’t have left their phones unattended,” linkai says. placing the phone on his pillow, he climbs into bed. it’s been an exhausting day but a facetime session with one of his best friends usually boosts his spirit.

“if anything, they deserve it,” he continues. his face scrunches at the sight of bufan picking his nose. sure, they’re have close—but he still expects some facade of mystery between them.

there’s a sudden loud guffaw filling the entire room and linkai almost drops his phone in his haste to turn down the volume.

“ssssh! you’re being way too loud, bufan!” 

“i wish i could see their faces when they find out,” the voice booms from the handset.

“WHY IS MY ENTIRE CAMERA ROLL FILLED WITH PEPPA PIG IMAGES?!” linkai hears zhangjing screeching from the room adjacent to his.

“victim one has been identified, only seven more to go.”


	19. badge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { zhu zhengting / zheng ruibin }

zhengting notices the police car tailing him and he swiftly pulls over. he takes a deep breath, trying his best to stay calm. he knows he’s got nothing to hide but he can feel a sense of anxiety rushing over him.

the officer approaches his vehicle, knocking the glass, before gesturing for him to lower the window. “did i do something wrong, officer?” zhengting asks, clearing his throat several times.

“license and registration, please,” the policeman says, ignoring zhengting’s question.

zhengting obliges and hands over the necessary documents.

“were you aware you were driving with a broken rear light?” the officer asks.

zhengting glances at the policeman’s name badge—zheng ruibin. what a pretty name to match the handsome face. he clears his throat again before responding, “no, i wasn’t, officer ruibin—i mean, _sir_.”

“don’t worry, you’re not in any trouble,” officer ruibin says, returning the license and registration back to zhengting. “just get it fixed, okay?”

zhengting nods. “i will.”

the officer leans into the vehicle and gives zhengting a quick peck on the lips. “good.”

zhengting shoots a smile at his husband. “i’ll be waiting for you to come home later. love you.”

“i love you, too.”


	20. cows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { zhou yanchen / zhou rui }

yanchen glances at his watch for the umpteenth time in the past hour. he feels restless, the urge to pick at his nails returns—a nervous habit he thought he’d quit many years ago. yanchen slumps over, resting his head on the table. a decision be quickly regrets when he feels his cheek sticking to an unknown tacky substance that lingers on the surface.

he hears the sound of the door open and he jerks up, eyes darting to the entrance.

“why are you here?” yanchen asks, the sound of disappointment evident in his voice.

“well, hello to you, too.”

“sorry, zhou rui, i’m just not in the mood right now,” he apologises to his best friend who has since taken a seat opposite him.

“you know, you can sit there till the cows come home, but he’s not coming,” zhou rui tells him.

deep down, yanchen knows his best friend is right.

the chair scrapes loudly across the floor as zhou rui rises to his feet. “let’s go,” he announces.

yanchen shakes his head.

“c’mon, i’ll treat you to some mcds,” zhou rui says.

“‘kay.” yanchen smiles at his best friend. “you’re the best.”

“and don’t you forget it.”


	21. representative

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { cai xukun / fan chengcheng }

xukun stares at the stack of portfolios sitting on his desk. taking a sip from his coffee, he pulls one from the pile and flips through the pages. he doesn’t need to finish browsing to know it’s not the right fit. he opens the next one, quickly moving on after having seen the first page.

at this rate, he’s never going to find the one.

“we’ve got a last minute application,” his personal assistant informs him through the intercom.

“won’t hurt to check it out, send it through,” xukun replies with lacklustre enthusiasm.

after he thanks his assistant for the file, xukun wastes no time flicking through it.

“fan chengcheng,” he reads the model’s name out loud. as soon as he opens the folder, xukun feels that eureka moment he’s been waiting for. “this is it, he’s the one!”

culinary pours over the different poses again, admiring how versatile the model is—from commercial to editorial—he has the entire package. tall, but not too scrawny, with a long neck that screams regal elegance. 

a wave of relief rushes over xukun—the long arduous nationwide search to find the perfect spokesperson to become his brand’s representative has finally been found.


	22. cemetery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { zhou yanchen / zhu xingjie }

“xingjie!” yanchen hisses, “where are you?” he fishes his phone from his pocket and turns on the flashlight, waving it around to illuminate his surroundings.

“turn that off before we get caught!” yanchen hears xingjie’s voice but can’t quite discern his location.

“but i can’t see anything!” yanchen replies. the only source of light—if you can call it that—is from the full moon above them. he squints his eyes to sharpen his vision but it proves ineffective. 

“just get over here!”

yanchen takes a step forward, careful not to bump into anything. he wouldn’t exactly call himself a wimp but he’d be lying if he tried to deny that being in a cemetery late at night doesn’t completely terrify him. why exactly did he agree to come?

“xingjie?” he calls out.

no response.

that’s it. yanchen makes the decision to leave, with it or without his best friend. he freezes when he hears a branch snap, his heart racing as he holds his breath. he’s pretty sure he’s seconds away from passing out when the area suddenly lights up and a crowd of people jump up out of nowhere.

“surprise!” xingjie says, holding a cake. “happy birthday, yanchen!”


	23. poison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { zhou yanchen / zhu zhengting }

yanchen scrunches his nose and shakes his head. “no.”

xingjie clucks his tongue. “you can’t back out now, you knew what you were signing up for!”

“but tabasco sauce? really?” yanchen groans at the thought of having to drink a shot of chilli sauce.

“yes, really. so, which one—the pint or shot glass? pick your poison.” xingjie holds the two in front of him.

does he want to drink a shot of pure tabasco or what is essentially a pint of tabasco flavoured milk? yanchen is still in the process of deliberating when zhengting—xingjie’s friend and yanchen’s crush—enters the cafe.

“sorry i’m late—what did i miss?” he asks.

“yanchen has to choose a forfeit,” xingjie explains before turning his attention back to yanchen. “hurry up and pick one already!”

yanchen ultimately chooses the pint glass and downs the beverage in one shot, painfully aware that zhengting is watching his every move. he slams the empty glass on the table, his body still shuddering from the experience.

zhengting shoots him a smile. “cute moustache.”

yanchen quickly wipes his upper lip with the back of his hand—his cheeks now probably match the pink hue of zhengting’s shirt.


	24. quicksand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { zhou yanchen / zhu zhengting }

quietly sinking, he descends deep into the abyss. he tries to reach out to grab onto something but his hands only grab air.

under the surface, he’s screaming at the top of his lungs. desperately searching for someone—anyone—who can hear his silent cries for help.

instead he’s met with the harsh reality that he’s alone—with no one to rescue him from drowning. his chest tightens and he struggles for air.

crippled by the pain, he’s on the verge of giving up. his life flashes before his very eyes, memories and regret flood to his mind. 

keep breathing, he tells himself, don’t give up.

slowly but surely, he begins to feel weak—his body shutting down.

an unknown force appears out of nowhere, saving him from the darkness and pulls him into the light.

no longer in danger of suffocating, he feels a rush of relief. oxygen fills his lungs, but his muscles remain unresponsive.

“don’t leave me,” a soft voice says. “not before i’ve had the chance to tell you how i feel. i love you, yanchen.” it takes a moment for him to recognise the voice—it belongs to his best friend and secret crush—zhengting.


	25. kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { zhu zhengting / zhou yanchen }

zhengting has never wanted to kiss anyone more than he wants to kiss yanchen. there’s just one problem, however—yanchen is already dating someone. and if that weren’t bad enough, his boyfriend just so happens to be one of zhengting’s closest friends.

needless to say, spending the day at the pool—practically naked—had been a terrible idea. zhengting had been under the impression the whole gang would be in attendance, but due to a large number of last minute drop outs, the only ones to turn up were zhengting and yanchen.

zhengting—practising self restraint—has been trying to keep his distance from the other.

“come in the water, it’s nice,” yanchen says, his face suddenly inches away from zhengting’s.

“i can’t,” zhengting says, silently adding, “ _do this to zeren_.”

“zeren told me not to tell you but we’re not actually dating. he wanted to wind you up and i just played along because…” yanchen smiles. “i wanted to tease you a little, too.”

zhengting blinks, too shocked to say anything.

yanchen leans in, bringing their faces closer and their lips touch ever so slightly. pulling away, yanchen smiles. “you don’t know how long i’ve wanted to do that.”


	26. cup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { zhu zhengting / zhou yanchen }

“coffee.”

zhengting forces a polite smile. “what kind of coffee would you like?” he points to the menu listing the different types of beverages they offer.

“a normal one.”

“an americano then, ma’am?”

the customer stares at him blankly. “yes, an _american_.”

“and what size would you like?”

“usual.”

zhengting closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “medium?”

the customer doesn’t respond and zhengting interprets it as tacit consent. “and will that be black or white?”

“black.”

he proceeds to make the coffee and places the cup on top of the counter. spotting the customer holding a credit card, zhengting points to the card machine. “that will be two-fifty, please.”

after the customer pays, she removes the lid and frowns. turning her attention to zhengting, she says, “there’s no milk.”

“you asked for a _black_ coffee,” zhengting explains, his patience wearing thin.

“i want milk.”

zhengting nods before adding some milk, silent cursing the customer after she leaves.

his anger dissipates when he feels an arm wrap around his waist, pulling him into an embrace. he’s glad his boyfriend is around to quell his frustration toward the rude customers. he’s sure if yanchen wasn’t around—he’d already be fired.


	27. snake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { lin yanjun / zhu zhengting }

“so which one of you did it?” yanjun studies everyone’s facial expressions. he’s certain a snake slithers among them.

chengcheng and justin don’t raise any suspicion—the pair are far too engrossed in their own little world. the same applies to xukun who is too engrossed in playing games on his phone. linong has an air of innocence about him. likewise, ziyi is far too pure and linkai would’ve taken credit for the crime. 

yanjun tentatively rules them out as suspects.

he turns his attention to his best friend, zhangjing, and boyfriend, zhengting.

“i think it must be one of you two...” yanjun trails off, carefully observing both of their reactions.

zhangjing appears mildly annoyed and eager to leave but zhengting—on the other hand—is avoiding all eye contact and is looking more and more conspicuous by the minute.

“zhengting,” yanjun says with a stern tone.

it takes but two seconds for zhengting to buckle under the pressure. “it was me, okay? i was the one who put the banana in your shoe!”

yanjun splutters. “but why would you do that?”

the room suddenly falls still.

“well?” yanjun asks.

zhangjing leans in close. “it’s because your feet smell. _bad_.”


	28. prose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { zhu zhengting / fan chengcheng / justin }

zhengting isn’t quite sure why there’s a chengcheng sitting on his bed, appearing to be in a deep contemplation.

“chengcheng, you okay?”

he doesn’t answer. instead, chengcheng just taps the end of the pen on his bottom lip, a pensive expression still present on his face.

zhengting shakes chengcheng ever so slightly. “hey, talk to me—what’s up?” he asks once. his concern is growing by the second; chengcheng isn’t usually the silent type.

at that precise moment, zhengting spots justin walking past and quickly pulls him into the room. “what’s up with him?” zhengting asks, pointing at chengcheng.

justin shrugs. “how should i know?”

zhengting sighs, he shouldn’t known better than to ask justin. turning back to chengcheng, he hears him muttering something. “what’s that now?” he leans closer to hear better.

chengcheng makes eye contact. “i’m trying to think of a word that rhymes with ‘ _know_ ’ but… nothing.”

“woah, big fat toe, froze, prose,” justin offers.

chengcheng begins to scribble into his notebook.

“grow, float, boat, cloak, milk—”

“—stop,” zhengting says. he’s not quite sure what chengcheng is planning on writing but he’s feeling somewhat troubled—not only for himself and chengcheng, but also for the intended audience.


	29. discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { zhou yanchen / zhu zhengting }

yanchen has always admired zhengting—he’s independent yet dependable; and more than anything, he’s smart with a thirst for knowledge. needless to say, there are countless reasons why yanchen had fallen in love with him. 

lately, however, there has been one thought running through his mind. like a broken record, yanchen has but one question—does zhengting have any weaknesses?

on paper, zhengting appears nothing short of perfection. his skills are unrivalled by no other; his looks almost straight out of a manga—tall and slender with a gymnast’s flexibility; and despite being trained as a dancer, zhengting showcases a fluid rap flow and stable vocals to boot.

zhengting exhibits no obvious shortcomings but yanchen is set on finding at least one.

it’s a mundane day when yanchen finds zhengting with his arms raised above his head. and for no real rhyme or reason, he feels an urge to poke him in the ribs. so he does precisely that.

what yanchen doesn’t expect is for zhengting to jump five feet into the air. this is a startling discovery for yanchen. and judging by the high pitched squeal that followed—zhengting is _very_ ticklish.

and yanchen could not be more pleased.


	30. governor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { zhou yanchen / zhu zhengting }

 

“you look like you’re ready for business with the whole suit and tie look,” zhengting says to his boyfriend, leaning in and kisses him on the cheek.

yanchen pushes his glasses back up the bridge of his nose with his middle and index finger. “i look like an actual businessman, don’t i?” he beams at zhengting, reaching out for his hand to hold.

zhengting nods. “or a secretary. a librarian. no, a secret agent!”

“i think i’m missing the shades and earpiece for that.”

“true,” zhengting says, “oh, how about a governor? that’s hot.”

yanchen raises an eyebrow. “a governor? really?”

“sure, what’s wrong with that? why the judging tone, babe?” zhengting is practically whining, his lips formed into a pout.

yanchen boops zhengting’s nose to placate him. “i don’t even know what a governor does?”

“you don’t?”

“enlighten me,” yanchen says.

“they’re like, i don’t know, government officials,” zhengting begins to explain.

“but what exactly do they _do_?” yanchen asks, clearly trying to bite back a smile.

“government… stuff?”

“right. a governor does government stuff—who woulda thunk it?” yanchen pulls zhengting in closer, hugging him tightly. “i really do love you—i wouldn’t trade you for the world.”


	31. harmony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { zhu zhengting / lin yanjun }

zhengting clears his throat. it feels utterly dry but to his chagrin, there’s not a source of water in sight. well, that’s not entirely true. there’s a stand of nongfu vitamin water but he refuses to drink one unless it were out of sheer necessity.

he contemplates whether or not he should make a quick run to the convenience store—he should—but he knows if he leaves the training room and is caught by one of the other members, he’ll never hear the last of it.

instead, zhengting soldiers on and begins his vocal warm-up, focusing on his breathing and rhythm so he won’t hit a bum or flat note during a harmony.

speaking of thirst (a different kind), yanjun enters the room. “hey, you,” he greets, pulling a bottle of water from what zhengting assumes (read: hopes) is from his pocket.

“thanks,” zhengting says, twisting the cap open and guzzling down its contents in one shot. he releases a satisfied sigh. “that’s exactly what i needed.”

“me? or the water?” yanjun asks with a smirk.

zhengting can feel his a blush rising to his face. “both, i guess?” he answers with a quenched thirst and a fluttering heart.


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { zhu zhengting / justin }

  
“someone, make it stop!” zhengting hears xinchun holler from across the hallway.

shortly after, a deep bass begins to vibrate through zhengting’s entire body. he sighs, hitting his forehead on the table.

what did he do to deserve this? he must’ve been a terrible person in his past life to be dealt with such a hand this time round.

“zeren, turn it down!” zhengting yells after having lost his patience, fist pounding on the wall for good measure. a wave of relief rushes over him when the volume lowers. he’s grateful that zeren’s always been the obedient one. however, it takes but two seconds for the volume to be cranked back up, even louder than it had been before.

zhengting takes it back—zeren is a shithead.

zhengting turns to justin who stands behind him. “i’m sorry that i said you were a terrible singer, but if you keep singing like that at the top of your lungs, i fear you’ll have a sore throat later—or worse—you’ll lose your voice.”

“APOLOGY NOT ACCEPTEDDDDD~” justin replies in sing-song.

justin is the worst of them all. and zhengting had better be reincarnated as a goddamn king in his next life.

**Author's Note:**

> feel free to hit me up on [twitter](https://twitter.com/yanchengting) or [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/bananajie).
> 
> thanks for reading,  
> banana ♡
> 
> p.s. please leave me a comment—they feed my soul.


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